WPSU to air call-in program about child sexual abuse

University Park, Pa. (Nov. 15, 2011) - The National Center for the Victims of Crime estimates one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Recent events at Penn State have sparked national attention around this issue, which is typically shrouded in silence and often unreported. How can society recognize child sexual abuse? What can people do to prevent it? And what resources are available to victims and their families?

Penn State Public Broadcasting and host Patty Satalia will explore this issue with a panel of experts in a special, one-hour, interactive program called "Confronting Child Sexual Abuse."

The live call-in program will air at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17, on WPSU-TV and WPSU-FM. It will be simulcast on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) and at http://wpsu.org/live[1] online.

Viewers and listeners are invited to join the conversation with questions or comments by calling 1-800-543-8242.

Also, volunteers from the Centre County Women's Resource Center will be available to talk one-on-one if parents or others have more immediate concerns about child sexual abuse. These volunteers can be reached by phone at 1-800-543-8242 during the program.

The panel consists of the following experts:

Lucy Johnston-Walsh, J.D., M.S.W. is the clinic supervising attorney for the Children's Advocacy Clinic, part of the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. A former state and federal lobbyist for a child advocacy organization and past chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Children's Rights Committee, Johnston-Walsh directs the clinic's operations and supports its mission to serve children and advocate for legislative issues related to children in the welfare system.

David Finkelhor, Ph.D. is the director of the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. He's also the co-director of the Family Research Laboratory and a professor of sociology. He has been studying the problems of child victimization, child maltreatment and family violence since 1977.

Pamela G. McCloskey, M.Ed. is a licensed psychologist at McCloskey Counseling Center in Milesburg, Pa. Since 1980, she has provided therapy to children and adolescents who have been abused. She's received specialized training in the areas of forensic interviewing, sexual victimization issues and sexual acting-out behaviors.

Matt Bodenschatz is a survivor of child sexual abuse. A native of Cambria County, Pa., the 38-year-old is currently an adult learner at Penn State. He recently shared his experiences with the public through an open letter to the Centre Daily Times newspaper.

For more information on child sexual abuse, visit http://wpsu.org/confrontingabuse online.

WPSU serves central Pennsylvania with programming, educational services and community outreach. This public media service produces, acquires and distributes programs that address local interests and reflect the diverse cultural, political, geographic and demographic characteristics of an audience within central Pennsylvania.